NORTH Ayrshire Council have denied that there is a critically low number of English teachers at Ardrossan Academy following complaints from angry parents.

Information obtained by the Herald points to children receiving little to no English lessons and report cards having no mention of English due to staff shortages.

Insiders say that the lack of staff is leaving younger pupils watching DVDs and doing basic work as the focus is on pupils of exam age. But the council say that the issue is not bad and ‘no pupils missed out on regular English classes’.

One English teacher, who works in North Ayrshire, spoke to the Herald anonymously about the issues surrounding Ardrossan Academy and other schools.

They said: “The crisis in secondary teaching has gotten to the stage where (English) teachers feel as though they can’t do the job they love or give the young people the support they deserve.

“This is due to the overwhelming demands of the workload, maximum class sizes, and the growing scarcity of additional classroom support for the young people.

“I believe that we are only seeing the beginning of a problem which will only get worse.

“Many, many teachers are regularly looking for opportunities outside of education and considering leaving the profession for the sake of their own health.

“Recruitment levels into teaching are not sufficient to maintain a stable replacement, and graduates considering teaching as a career can hardly be blamed for choosing not to enter a profession in which they are guaranteed a real terms pay cut every year and are faced with an ever expanding remit.”

One irate parent of a pupil at Ardrossan Academy is considering forking out for private tuition to ensure their child does not miss out.

They told the Herald: “I am unhappy with the staffing issues as it will have a knock-on affect to my daughter’s education.

“While I understand the school are putting the resources they have to pupils sitting exams my concern is that my daughter is not having the level of study required on a regular basis.

“Next year when she sits her exams the lack of English lessons she has had throughout the year will mean that her grades will be affected and this is not fair on any of the kids looking to go to university as English is a core subject and is required for most courses.

“I will have to consider getting private tutoring if the situation does not get any better at the school. This is not something I thought I would have to do as you expect when your child attends school that a basic education is provided, there has been no information from the school to advise parents of when the situation is likely to change.”

A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “We currently have one vacancy in our English department at Ardrossan Academy which is currently being advertised and we hope to fill it as soon as possible.

“As a result of a number of different factors, we did experience a temporary period of reduced staff numbers however the school did all it could to mitigate including reassigning English teachers.

“During this time, the school rearranged the school timetable to ensure that time with an English teacher was maximised. This ensured that no pupils missed out on regular English classes.

“We can confirm that a small number of pupils were unable to receive their English report as expected due to the absence of a member of staff, however, a separate report will be issued to parents in the near future and we apologise for the delay.

“We would like to thank pupils and staff for their patience and support during this exceptional period.”

Councillor Shaun Macaulay, the SNP’s shadow cabinet member for Education and Youth Employment, commented: “We are very concerned to hear of these problems. Parents of affected pupils should not hesitate to contact myself or Councillor Tony Gurney.

“I will be asking Councillor Bell what plans he has to achieve a speedy resolution. It is absolutely not acceptable for any more than the occasional lesson to be missed. We urgently need to know what the staffing situation is at the Academy.”

Are you a pupil or parent/guardian of a pupil at Ardrossan Academy and wish to speak to our team about issues, contact us via editorial@ardrossanherald.co.uk or by calling 01294 464321.